1. Field of the Invention
The present invention is directed to decorative items which are three dimensional, detailed, sculptured items. These items may be used for jewelry or other purposes, and are in the form of detailed sculpturing with non-conductive, semi-flexible materials with adhesive attachments which may be applied to any adherable surface, e.g., on clothing or directly on the skin, or on any other desired surface. More particularly, the present invention involves such items which include a reinforcement grid within the semi-flexible materials.
2. Information Disclosure Statement
Decorative three dimensional sculptured items, such as jewelry, have been in existence for centuries and have been created in countless shapes and forms. Just as old and boundless are the means by which such items have been affixed, adapted and worn. Thus, in general, prior art on this topic describes the formation of different types of decorative items, especially jewelry, and the corresponding implements for the placement of such items.
Most prior art, in regard to the formation of decorative jewelry, calls for the use of precious metals, gems or similarly dense materials in its creation. The weight and cost of these materials create size limitations to the formation of the jewelry. Although the technology of lightweight plastic moldings and blown plastic foam have been applied to many applications, their use in forming decorative jewelry has been limited.
The typical applications of lightweight plastic moldings and blown plastic foam is exemplified in U.S. Pat. No. 4,280,695 to Jerome C. Stenehjem, to Stephen C. Jacobsen; 3,390,482 to J. H. Holtvoight, which show applications through free-standing forms that have mechanical or novelty applications.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,419,395 to Terutaka Sugimoto describes a perfumed pendant which has a three-dimensional configuration and comprises a front vinyl sheet which has a design printed thereon, a back vinyl sheet which has a design matting with the design on the front vinyl sheet printed thereon and welded at the outer peripheral edge thereof to the outer peripheral edge of the front vinyl sheet, a foam resilient padding is interposed between the front and back vinyl sheets to give the three-dimensional configuration to the pendant and a capsulated perfume layer laminated to the outer surface of the front vinyl sheet at a selected area of the front vinyl sheet outer surface.
Prior art that relates to the application of decorative jewelry to a person, usually depicts a pin, clasp or similar mechanical method of attachment. Those methods of attachments limit the application of jewelry to areas of a person or a persons clothes that accommodate the pin or the clasp. The attachment methods cause damage to the surface on which they are worn and significantly add to the cost and manufacturability of the jewelry. However, some prior art does show the attachment of jewelry through adhesives, as in the present invention, the distinctions from which are set forth below.
The prior art which pertains to adhesively attached jewelry is exemplified by the following:
U.S. Pat. No. 2,975,538 to Clifton H. Murfin describes an emblem and means for adhering it to flat, convex or concave surfaces. The emblem includes an adhesive pad but the adhesive is not entered to be applied to human skin or clothing and makes a seal intending to be permanent.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,220,016 to Rita K. Frenger describes a process for producing jewelry which is color sensitive to temperature. The temperature sensitive jewelry must be adhered directly to the skin in order to be functional, thus an adhesive strip is used. The adhesive strip described is created to be resilient, flexible and elastic and attaches to a flexible base of the jewelry so that the adhesive surface will form with the contours of the skin to assure adequate thermoconductivity.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,419,396 to Terutaka Sugimoto describes three-dimensional perfumed seals which may be worn as brooches or pendants. In more detail, it describes a three-dimensional seal which comprises a vinyl base sheet, an adhesive layer which is applied to one surface of said base sheet, a release paper which is applied to one surface of said adhesive layer opposite from said base sheet, a foam synthetic resin padding material which is disposed on the surface of said base sheet opposite from said adhesive layer, a covering vinyl sheet sandwiching said padding material in cooperation with said base sheet having a design printed on one of the opposite surfaces thereof, and a capsulated perfume layer laminated to the covering vinyl sheet at the area where said design is present. These products are crudely three dimensional at best and lack any detail and sculpturing. In fact, the details are printed on the product and would not necessarily be distinguishable merely by the contours. These contours are simplistic and are made with covered vinyl which is welded onto the base and pulls down on the foam to form undulations. The undulations are not capable of abrupt changes in direction, e.g. a sharp chin or squared cap. These are all mathematically arcuated and do not have any indentations or impressions which have only partial depths to create actual sculpturing. These products are not capable of partial indentations or impressions due to inherent limitations of the methods of formation.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,581,088 to Robert E. House sets forth a process for creating shaped imitation jewels to be adhered to a persons fingernails. The process or means by which imitation jewels is to be adhered to a person is not addressed.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,744,514 to Susan M. Gadoua describes a laminated, flexible, lightweight scent-carrying ornament which has an adhesive backing that permits the ornament to be applied to one's personal clothing. The laminated construction comprises an open weave top lamination, an absorbent center lamination, and an adhesive backed bottom lamination, all of the laminations have been joined or fused together to form a single unit.
U.S. Pat. No. 4,830,690 to Diane Cooper describes a process by which adhesive is used to color an art and craft object. The adhesive is not used to adhere jewelry or any other similar item.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,233,845 to Bruce M. D'Andrade describes decorative, detailed, three-dimensional, sculptured jewelry which may be worn either directly on a person's body, clothing, or otherwise via an adhesive layer. The jewelry includes a sculptured three-dimensional predetermined ornamental design on its front side having a substantially flat surface on its back. The design has peaks and impressions with varying elevations to create true, detailed sculptured results. There is an adhesive applied to the flat surface of the ornamental design. The adhesive is protected before its use by a removable, peelable non-adhesive layer that attaches to the back of the ornamental design over the applied adhesive. The ornamental design is created from non-conductive, plastic material. The ornamental design is attached, to the area of the users preference, by removing the peelable protective layer from the adhesive coating on the flat side of the ornament and pressing the adhesive against the preferred surface.
U.S. Pat. No. 5,233,845 describes "soft" jewelry which is adhered to a desired surface. However, it has been recently discovered that surprising advantages may be achieved to such devices to enable use of these devices in other, more demanding applications than jewelry, as well as jewelry. More specifically, it is an object of the present invention to achieve "soft" items such as in the aforesaid prior art, but with internal superstructures, yet having the soft semi-flexible "feel" as the prior art sculptured jewelry. Unlike the devices taught in U.S. Pat. No. 5,233,845, the present invention devices remain soft on the outside, yet are more bend resistant to assist in maintenance of adherence and are stronger, resisting stretching, tearing, ripping apart and other destructive forces by the use of an internal reinforcement grid not heretofore taught.
Thus, the prior art does teach that items may be made from lightweight plastic moldings and blown plastic foam which are made to give realistic three-dimensional detailed sculpturing having partial and full impressions therein yet contains reinforcement for durability in expanded applications by the use of hidden, imbedded reenforcement grids.
Notwithstanding the prior art, the present invention is neither taught nor rendered obvious thereby.